Social Work Commons^™

Enhancing Recovery With The Use Of Animals, Christina Martinez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Avenues is a program designed to help adults lead happier and more productive lives by overcoming mental health and chemical dependency challenges. The problem is, participants are not fully prepared for independent living following these programs. The plan was to provide participants a therapeutic approach to gaining hands-on experience while combating symptoms of mental illness with the use of animals, with hopes that participants would be better prepared for life after leaving the program. If the project met the expected outcome, the agency would see a lower rate of participants returning to the program and a higher success rate of …

Therapeutic Gardening For Mental Health In Substance Use Recovery, Stephanie E. Schafer

Master's Projects and Capstones

Abstract

As the clinical nurse leader (CNL) in this project, I used the “[CNL]

Essential 1: Background for Practice from Sciences and Humanities” (Competencies and Curricular Expectations for Clinical Nurse Leader Education and Practice, 2013) and its competencies to focus on designing nursing care for a clinical or community-focused population based on biopsychosocial, public health, nursing, and organizational sciences and to synthesize evidence for practice to determine appropriate application of interventions across diverse populations. With the help of the CNL competencies and collaboration with the healthcare team, we created and implemented a therapeutic garden for residents in a substance use …

Utilizing An Evidence-Based Treatment Program For Offenders With Mental Health Disorders To Demonstrate Interprofessional Social Work Practice, Erica Kessinger, Ann Callahan

Social Work Masters Capstone Projects

Sixty-four percent of jail offenders, 54% of state prisoners, and 45% of federal prisoners have a mental illness (Taylor, 2022). Mental illness increases the risk of recidivism. Individuals with mental illness have limited access to appropriate treatment. They are more likely to respond negatively to the prison environment. This can lead to infractions and solitary confinement. In addition, 51% of incarcerated individuals, whether they received mental health treatment or not, are likely to experience recidivism (Pflueger et al., 2015). The practice of interprofessional social work inside the American prison system is desperately needed. The following paper proposes an evidence-based treatment …

Prescribing Music To Forensic Settings: A Literature Review, Sydney A. Bouchard

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Though prison is inherently musical, evidence-based forensic music therapy is rather understudied. This thesis critically reviews musical experiences in forensic environments and synthesizes its intersection with inmates' psychological distress. Additionally, the literature explores how forensic music therapy can act as a health and social resource for the incarcerated and their communities. Engaging in this work is vital because healthier correctional systems mean healthier communities (Hopwood, 2021). This review synthesizes relevant literature to inform better practices in music therapy, counseling, and healthcare and seeks to popularize discussion around an otherwise unpopular population, incarcerated folx. Emerging themes include (1) incarceration breeds negative …

Adverse Effects For Siblings Who Witness Child Abuse, Leslie Chaires

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research explores the adverse effects on the mental health of children who have witnessed child abuse on siblings or relatives and interventions that can help mitigate adverse effects. The adverse effects of being abused have continued to be studied by different fields, such as child development and social work, but the children not directly abused are the missing voice in the literature on child abuse and mental and behavioral health. Social workers frequently have contact with children who have been victims of abuse or have witnessed child abuse. Social workers and other mental health providers can bring further insight …

Perceptions Of The Impact Of Parental Mental Health On Adult Children, Samantha Ann Gallo-Vargas, Queray Mcmihelk Jr.

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study sought to gain further understanding of the perceptions of parental mental illness on adult children. Previous research suggests that parental mental illness may create generational trauma that impacts children even into adulthood. This study used a qualitative, exploratory approach, including in-depth interviews with eight individuals who grew up with a parent or caretaker with a mental illness. The participants ranged from ages 18 to 45 and came from various cultural and socioeconomic statuses. The interviews followed a semi-structured interview guide that the researchers designed. The findings of this study suggest that most of the participants used their experience …

Increasing Teacher Awareness Of Mental Health In Children, Sarah Alexis Cortes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health issues in school-aged children have become a larger issue especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Because children spend a large amount of time in a school setting, it is important to utilize teachers to assist in preventing, recognizing, and supporting mental health issues in their students. This can be difficult however, when many states throughout the United States of America, have little to no requirements for mental health training in both their credential programs and their school districts. This can leave teachers feeling less comfortable and lack an understanding of how to prevent, recognize, and support, student mental health …

Former Foster Youth And The Utilization Of Mental Health Services In Postsecondary Education, Jacqueline Viadas, Liliana Lua

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The current research indicates that former foster youth entering post-secondary education do not have the same outcomes as the general population when it comes to the completion of educational goals (AA degree, Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree). This research study used an exploratory design which focused on finding the role that utilization of mental health services and treatments play on academic outcomes for this population. Through qualitative interviews, respondents served as experts in this area and they provided their unique experience regarding this topic. The goal of this study was to reduce uncertainty in the literature, identify past barriers, limitations, …

Attitudes Of Social Work Students On The Use Of Psychedelics As A Mental Health Treatment In Clinical Settings, Amanda Nickles

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Although psychedelic substances are currently categorized under federal law as a Schedule I controlled substance, there has recently been a renewed interest in the use of psychedelics to treat a number of mental health and substance use disorders. Research is garnering positive results in clinical trials, although much fear and stigma still surrounds psychedelic use. Future social workers’ presence in both macro level practices, advocating for mental health treatments and access to care, as well as their work in micro level clinically focused practices adds to their relevancy and legitimacy in advocating for potential policy changes on therapeutic psychedelic usage …

School Faculty’S Knowledge And Awareness Of School-Based Mental Health Programs, Bianca Gonzalez Vargas, Cristal Cortes-Vazquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Children between the ages of five and eighteen spend a significant amount of time in school settings where they may have the opportunity to receive mental health services if needed. Children come into contact with many school faculty members, such as teachers, social workers, counselors, secretaries, administrators, and many more. These faculty ideally would be able to identify and properly refer children to mental health services. However, prior research demonstrates that many faculty members are not aware of the various types of mental health services and programs provided in schools. In addition, for mental health services to be correctly offered …

A Systematic Review Of Studies Of Self-Compassion Interventions For Trauma And Stress-Related Disorders, Kayla Wilkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aims to explore how the effectiveness of self-compassion interventions can reduce symptoms of trauma and stress-related disorders. Self-compassion can be an essential part of treatment for trauma and stress-related disorders. Self-compassion consists of three components: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Self-compassion also relies on an individual to use emotional intelligence (e.g., emotional processing theory, meaning-making theory, polyvagal theory) to aid with increasing the level of self-awareness and appraising traumatic memories. For example, identifying post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms using self-compassion can promote emotional regulation, enabling awareness and acceptance of negative emotions caused by trauma. In addition, self-compassion can help …

Evaluating Community Based Trauma Among Behavioral Health Workers, Leslie M. Santillan Pina

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Due to the national lack of service providers, current providers are experiencing high levels of stress/trauma because of workload, expectations, and the emotional toll these essential jobs have. Monterey County Behavioral Health Bureau is a public government agency that provides mental health services to the community. The purpose of this capstone is to allow clinicians to express the factors that contribute to the stressors of their jobs in hopes of creating change that will alleviate the trauma they experience. This project had three focus group interviews and one key informant interview that gave expected results based on the contributing factors …

Lack Of Counseling Services Among Adults Aged 50 And Greater, Madalyn Olson

Counselor Education Capstones

The geriatric population is increasing every year which may indicate a rising need for retirement and mental health counseling. It is essential for individuals aging out of the workforce to prepare for a life after work and know how to create a new identity. Counselors need to be aware of the different scales and assessments that are available to help determine one’s attitude towards retirement and willingness to seek counseling to prepare for retirement. Additionally, it is important to be aware that although there are counseling services available for mental health disorders and substance use disorders, these services are limited …

Decision-Making And Christianity: Black Queer Women's Mental Health, Deborah Coffy

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This study investigated how Christianity affects Black queer women's decision-making regarding seeking mental health services. Those who felt they met the inclusion criteria completed a Basic Demographic Survey. After vetting these individuals, eleven female participants—who are both Black and queer—were asked to participate in an individual semi-structured qualitative interview. The interview focused on one's journey with mental health, societal and relationship influences, Black and LGBTQ+ identity, influences from conservative, traditional, or mainstream Christianity, and sense of self. Although Christianity may not have directly impacted most of the women in this study to seek mental health services, Christianity did have an …

Examining Contributing Factors To Poor Mental Health Among College Students: A Guide To Student Mental Health Resources, Kora Dutton

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Among college students, poor mental health is an issue that continues to progress. In this literature review, contributing factors to mental health conditions of college students are examined. These factors include financial burden and living standards, violence, substance use, pandemics, and health crises. After the initial onset of a mental illness, the risk for other negative consequences increases. Students with mental illness are less likely to graduate, more likely to develop substance use disorder, and are at an increased risk for other mental health comorbidities and suicide. As poor mental health among college students persists, more accessibility to resources is …